


Nemesis

by Redskybluecherry



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Denial of Feelings, F/M, Rated M Just To Be Safe, Rivalry, Trafalgar D. Water Law is a Little Shit, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2020-10-11 14:51:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20547968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redskybluecherry/pseuds/Redskybluecherry
Summary: Your life as a med student had been going perfectly fine... until Trafalgar Law came along.You hated him. You hated him so very much.





	1. One.

„I HATE HIM!“ you declared, slamming your tray of lunch down on the table, a distinct scowl on your face.

Nami let out a small sigh, seemingly pitying you. “That bad, huh?”

You sat down, trying (<strike>but failing</strike>) not to let your anger consume you.  
“I swear, one day soon I will gut this asshole like a pig, if it is the last thing I do.”  
Zoro almost choked on his food. “Whoa, (Y/N), don’t you think that’s a little extreme? I mean sure, you don’t like the guy, but it’s not like he’s done anything-“  
The look you gave him was enough for him not to finish his sentence.  
“He hasn’t done anything? He is trying to RUIN my life! I was SO happy with anatomy! It’s the only course i’m really interested in, and then THIS GUY comes along and just steals my spot! Our teacher used to always pick ME when it came to difficult questions, and now he’s always picking him! And as if that wasn’t enough, the guy KNOWS what he’s doing! Everytime he answers a question correctly or gets a fantastic grade, he turns around and just SMIRKS at me! The NERVE of this asshole!”  
As you were ranting on, you noticed your blood pressure rising and your head feeling like it was burning up.

These outbursts of anger at lunch had been a recurring event for the last couple of weeks now. Ever since a certain student had switched to your university.  
Trafalgar Law. Your personified nemesis.  
Yes, you were very good at anatomy and indeed proud of that. It had been your dream to become a top surgeon ever since your mom had bought you your first book about the human body more than 10 years ago. Now, you were in your 20s, and well on the way to your goal.

Were you a perfectionist? Not in general, but when it came to your favourite subjects, the ones you _knew_ you could excel at, you definitely always wanted to be _the best_. A character trait that didn’t necessarily help your popularity among your fellow med students. But since all of your close friends majored in different fields, it didn’t concern you. And for quite a while, things had been going just your way – your grades had been the best of the best, you had been praised for said grades by your teacher time and time again, and everytime a difficult question had come up during the lectures, you had always been the quickest to come up with the correct answer. Until he’d come along.

  
You gritted your teeth. It was bad enough already that this arrogant narcissist had taken over your spot as the seemingly smartest person in class. Even worse was the fact he had somehow taken notice of how much this was bothering you, and like a total sadist, he’d started to subtly rub salt into your wounds. Whether it was that god-damned stuck up smirk he always wore after you’d been given back a new assignment or test and he turned around to look at you, making _sure_ you knew he’d gotten a better result than you, or the small comments he made as you passed him in the hallways, he always tried to make you feel inferior, something you absolutely couldn’t stand.

  
What you also couldn’t stand was the way he paraded his growing female fanclub all over campus. He didn’t even seem interested in any of the girls, yet he still made sure everyone knew just how _popular_ he was with the female population of your university. It was driving you positively nuts. Sure, you were exaggerating when you told your friends about all of the horrible things you wished to do to him every day, but it was true you didn’t really know how much longer you could go on like this. He had managed to push you to your limit and it wouldn’t take much more for you to snap.

  
Robin smiled and reached over, taking your hand.  
“Hey, (Y/N), calm down. I know this is bothering you, but the more you’re letting yourself get upset about this guy, the more you’re playing into his cards, you know? Don’t let it eat you up.”  
“My beautiful flower (Y/N)-chwan, I hereby swear on my knightly honor, I will take this guy down for you, my sweet princess!” Sanji declared passionately, his eyes taking the shape of hearts, but before he could noodle-dance his way over to you, Nami slapped him on the back of his head, essentially knocking him out.  
Luffy and Ace just went on shoving food down their throats, apparently oblivious to anything going on around them.

  
You took a deep breath. “I know you guys are right, but it’s just… _ugh_. I just can’t stand this guy. The way he walks around like he’s the king of this uni, the way all his ridiculous fangirls swoon over him like he’s some kind of god… I mean what’s so special about him?! He’s nothing but an annoying smartass, and it’s not like he’s _that_ good-looking!”

And, speak of the devil, into the cafeteria walked the exact person you did not want to see right now – Trafalgar fricking Law, naturally with a bunch of his fangirls in tow, practically drooling over him as he made his way to a free table.  
As if he’d noticed your eyes on him, he looked over to you, and before you could look away, the two of you made eye contact. Determined not to show weakness, you glared at him.  
“Wow, if looks could kill” Zoro muttered under his breath.  
“Oh Zoro, I’m pretty sure killing is not what she’s mentally doing right now” Robin whispered to him, her voice too low for you to hear.  
Law held your gaze, his grey orbs penetrating yours as his trademark smirk started to spread over his features.  
But then one of his fangirls said something to him and tugged on his arm, making him refocus his attention and allowing you to finally look away and blink.  
“Jerk” you muttered under your breath, your nails still digging into your hand from clenching your fist.

  
Robin and Nami shared a knowing glance, then both turned back to you, leaning in slightly.  
“(Y/N)”, Nami said with a small grin on her face, “are you sure you hate him that much?”  
Your eyebrows almost left your face. “What?!” you all but shrieked. “What the hell do you mean by that?! I’ve been telling you for the last few weeks, I HATE HIM!”

  
Nami sighed. “But is that really true? I mean for hating the guy, you sure spend a lot of your time talking and thinking about him.”  
You had no idea why your face decided to blush heavily, you really didn’t. You also had no idea why your voice suddenly sounded a lot less confident and weaker than moments before.  
“I-I DON’T think about him! What are you implying, are you mad?!” You looked down, your food suddenly seeming a lot more interesting than moments before.

Nami just giggled.  
All of a sudden, Ace decided to chime in, seemingly not as oblivious to the conversation as you’d thought.  
“Well guys, if you ask me, it’s pretty obvious what’s going on here!” He proclaimed cheerfully while taking another bite of his lunch.  
“And what, my dear Ace, would that be?” Nami asked him in a slightly sarcastic tone.

  
“Well”, he said, “I think (Y/N) wants the D in Trafalgar D. Water Law, if you know what I mean!” he let out just a tad bit too loud, then proceeded to snicker like a child.

  
While the guys didn’t even bother to hold back their laughter, you immediately flinched and looked over to Law’s table. He was already looking right back at you, his smirk having grown even wider than before, practically oozing with smugness and hidden intent.  
Horrified, you tried to contain the blush rising to your cheeks and not so subtly kicked Ace’s shin under the table.  
“Ow!” He cried out. “(Y/N), when did you become such a brute?”  
“You deserved it” Nami weighed in, Robin nodding in agreement.

  
Utterly embarassed, you kept your head down while contemplating what to do. Part of you just wanted to get out of there, away from him, as fast as possible, but that would only make it seem like what Ace had said had somehow fazed you – and you didn’t want to give anyone, least of all Law, that impression.  
So you tried to act as nonchalant as possible for the rest of lunch. Thankfully, your friends took the hint and let you change the topic to something else. When it was time for your next lecture, you already felt a little better.  
_So what_? There was absolutely no truth to what Ace had said. It had just surprised you, that was all there was to it. You could never be attracted to a man as conceited, self-absorbed and sadistic as Trafalgar Law… _right_?

While you were finishing the last bits of your lunch, you ever so swiftly looked over to Law’s table, joyfully realizing he had already left. Since you didn’t share your last lecture with him, thankfully you wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore for today.  
You said goodbye to your friends, getting ready to leave.  
“Well guys, there’s one thing I truly don’t understand”, Luffy said, tilting his head in a confused manner.  
“What is it Luffy?” Nami asked.  
“What would (Y/N) want with a letter?”  
Needless to say, both you and the rest of your friends sweat-dropped.

* * *

_The next day..._

Your brain was a traitor, a dirty, evil traitor. All night, you hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what Ace had hinted at during lunch. The more you had tried to set your mind at ease or distract yourself, the more your thoughts had returned to that damn sadist and his piercing gaze, and that god-damned smirk, and his tattoos, and…  
_Fuck._  
Whether Ace had planted those thoughts inside your head or they had been there before and you had been too deep in denial to notice, you didn’t know.  
What you did know, however, was that now, you couldn’t get the image of Trafalgar Law and yourself, in... _various compromising positions_ out of your head.  
How were you supposed to ever face him again?  
Scrap that. How the hell were you supposed to face him TODAY?!  
And as if those unbidden yet tempting thoughts weren’t enough for your poor brain to handle, you were also due to get your latest exam back today. Meaning, another potential opportunity for him to try and mock you. Great.

Throughout the lesson, you noticed him tilting his head in your direction a couple of times, but you stubbornly willed yourself not to reciprocate his gaze, already knowing you’d only get more riled up if you did. This day was going to be a true test of your patience and willpower, and you were determined not to fail.

At the end of what had felt like the longest 90 minutes of your life, the professor finally started handing out the reviewed exams, talking about the results as he did so. “Overall, all of you have done fairly fine, with a few of you showing some of their best work.” As he got to your row of seats, your heart started beating faster and faster. You had studied a lot for this exam and despite your confidence in your knowledge, you were still nervous whether you had managed to finally outdo Law. As your professor finally handed over your work, he smiled at you, saying: “(Y/N), very excellent. You should be proud.” Unable to hold in your excitement, you quickly thanked him, then glanced down to look at your score. 40/40 possible points. You couldn’t help but let out a small squeal of happiness, a bright smile spreading over your face. You’d done it!

Noticing someone watching you, you looked down to the front line of seats only to immediately lock eyes with Law. His gaze was intense as usual, and he was smiling – but instead of his usual, infuriating smirk, he was wearing what appeared to be a genuine smile devoid of the usual arrogance, his bright grey eyes seeming somewhat warmer than usual as well.

It completely threw you off guard. It almost seemed like he - was _happy for you?!_  
Quickly averting your gaze back to your table, you tried to decipher what was happening to your visual perception, as your eyes had to have deceived you – Trafalgar Law, your archrival, happy for you?! Absurd. Impossible.  
And yet, that didn’t stop the blood from rushing to your cheeks and your heart from somehow beating even faster than before, despite the original source of excitement – your impending results – having already disappeared. What was happening to you?!

_You were going to kill Ace. That was for sure._

Thankfully, your professor was interrupting your murderous thoughts. “And that concludes the end of todays’ lesson. Please be sure to prepare the next chapter until next week. That’ll be all, have a nice day everyone.” Quickly glancing to the front row of seats and sending a message of thanks to the gods since Law had apparently already left, you collected your stuff and made your way out of the auditorium, almost all of the other students having left before you. <strike>Hey, you were a bit of a human sloth, so what?</strike>

You already contemplated whether to talk to your friends about these confusing… thoughts? Feelings? Whatever one could call them, but finally decided it would be better not to. After Ace’s betrayal yesterday (for which you would make sure he’d burn in hell) you didn’t trust them to take your concerns seriously. Besides, what were you going to tell them? That you had no idea what was going on? _Haha, what’s new._

Not paying attention to your surroundings, you walked through the door and turned right, only to almost bump into someone. Before you could apologize for your clumsiness, however, you noticed just who exactly you’d almost collided with, and your features immediately darkened.

“Do you mind? I have to get to lunch.” You said, not even trying to sound polite.

Law just smirked at you, as smug and self-confident as ever. “I merely wanted to congratulate you on your success, (Y/N)-ya. No need to be hostile.”

“Blabla. Spare me, Law. We both know you’re only trying to somehow turn this into a win for you, so let’s just skip that, k?” you tried to sound as nonchalant as possible while avoiding eye contact with him. Those eyes would only throw you off guard, and you were still hoping he didn’t actually overhear everything that was said in the cafeteria yesterday…

He chuckled quietly. “Well, (Y/N)-ya, in my eyes, I was already victorious before we even got our results.”

“Ugh, and what is that supposed to mean, Law? I know you love hearing yourself talk, but don’t you have some fangirls to entertain or something?”

You couldn’t help but notice his smile turning even more devious at hearing your words. Without warning, he leaned in, his warm lips grazing your ear as he whispered: “If you wanted all of my attention to yourself, all you had to do was ask, (Y/N)-ya.”

Trying to hold back the gasp that almost escaped you, you desperately tried to hold on to any sanity you had left, but you were completely flustered. _How dare this guy?! _You took a deep breath, then pushed him away from you.

“And, pray tell, why would I want the attention of an arrogant, self-absorbed, sociopathic asshole like you?”

Your insults not fazing him, he rested his arms on the wall beside your head, effectively caging you, now stuck between the wall and his body. “Ace-ya raised an interesting possibility at lunch yesterday, (Y/N)-ya. Maybe exploring some of the… energy between us wouldn’t be so bad. I’ve been thinking about putting you in your place for a while now…”

This time, you couldn’t help the gasp from slipping, only feeding his confidence, it seemed. Your face red and you body feeling hot, you were at a loss for words, getting completely lost in his eyes, which were now fixated on your lips. With your heart beating as fast as possible, you closed your eyes and started to slowly lean in…

…only for him to chuckle, pull away and smirk victouriously at your (in his eyes: adorably) flustered expression.

“You really are too much fun, (Y/N)-ya. Have fun celebrating your success, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

And with that, he went on his way, leaving you standing there – a blushing mess.

After your heartbeat had calmed down you realized that he’d actually managed to one-up you, yet again.

You hated him. You hated him so much.

“Oi (Y/N)! What happened to you? You look like a hot mess!” Ace proclaimed, walking down the hallway towards you while smiling brightly.

You didn’t even hesitate to kick him this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is far from perfect, but it was SO much fun to write. I might turn this into a mini-series since i do have some more ideas, but i'm not sure yet. As always, thanks for reading. <3


	2. Two.

Sometimes, you wondered whether the place you went to 5 days of the week was a university or a mental asylum. Today was one of those days, and the worst part about it was that you yourself were one of the people whose sanity you questioned profoundly.  
  
And it was all thanks to _him._  
  
Trafalgar Law, the devil incarnate who had somehow made it his mission to turn your life into a living hell. It had been two weeks ever since your encounter with him after you’d gotten your tests back. Two weeks since that infuriatingly attractive bastard had turned you into a blushing, stuttering mess and then proceeded to leave you standing there like an idiot.  
But that was in the past. From now on, you wouldn’t let him get to you ever again.  
  
<strike>Ok, who exactly were you trying to fool?</strike>  
  
At the very least he’d left you alone since then, save for a few glances and smirks that had affected you more than you’d ever admit out loud. Even though procrastination and anxiety were two of your closest companions during examination period, you’d never been so grateful for said span of time before, because apparently, it made Law focus on studying instead of you.  
  
But examination period also managed to transform pretty much all the students into hysteric lunatics, which brought your thoughts back to the present day. Since you were finding it increasingly hard to study at home (too many distractions) you’d decided to pay the library a visit earlier this day, but it had been packed all morning, making you begrudgingly take your stuff back home with you and at least try and get some work done (and not just spend the day binge-watching your favourite 90s Sitcom).  
  
Now it was late afternoon, and you were once again visiting the library, now hoping for pure, pleasant peace and quiet.  
As it turned out, you were indeed lucky – most of the other students who’d started out earlier in the day had left already, with only a few remaining, who were scattered all around the large hall.  
  
Setting your stuff down on an empty table in a more secluded corner, you realized you’d forgotten to bring along your neurology textbook. Since you were in the main library, which housed quite a large collection of medical literature, you were sure there’d be another copy around for you to borrow. Since the place was mostly empty and all the present students were engrossed in their studying, you left your stuff, save your wallet and phone, back at your table while you navigated your way through the aisles.  
  
Momentarily distracted by some noise in the background, your thoughts drifted back to the conversation you’d had with your friends a few days ago. You had been determined not to tell them about what had… happened? Not happened? Between Law and you, but the spawn of Satan (also known as Portgas D. Ace) had managed to expose you.  
  
It was lunch, and as usual, all of you had been sitting together, talking about the events of the day. Ace and Luffy had just made their way over to you, and before they had even sat down, Ace had addressed you:  
  
“Hey (Y/N)! You never did tell me what or _who_ left you in that flustered state the other day!” All eyes were on you immediately. Oh, how you had wanted to wipe that shit-eating grin off Ace’s face. But instead, you just settled for playing it cool.  
“Oh, that? I was just so happy with my results of that test I was so excited about. Remember guys? I was so nervous about it for weeks.”  
  
Most of your friends had seemed satisfied with your answer, going back to bad-mouthing teachers or – in Luffy’s case – wolfing down their food, but Nami and Robin had looked at you like they knew exactly what had really happened.  
A blush and a roll of your eyes was all they got out of you, though.  
  
_What was it about raven-haired guys that made them the worst human beings to ever torment planet earth?_  
  
Willing your thoughts to return to the present, you had finally arrived at the bookshelf you’d been looking for – but when you managed to locate the book you needed, you begrudgingly discovered that it was located on one of the higher shelves, making it difficult to reach.  
_Ugh._  
  
Not wanting to walk all the way back to the front of the hall to ask one of the library’s staff for help, you instead leaned on your toes and stretched as far as your arms would allow. Your fingers just barely grazed the back of the book. Come on!  
Stretching every muscle in your body (at least that’s what it felt like – you couldn’t remember the last time you made use of your gym membership ), you let out a quiet chant of “Please please _please_” as you desperately tried to reach the book.  
  
  
Suddenly, you felt another body pressing up against yours from behind, definitely closer than what could be considered a coincidence, making you let out a small squeak. A long arm reached out to easily grab the book from above, the person letting their fingers graze yours ever so briefly as they did so.  
  
The tattooed letters on the back of said fingers left no room for speculations on who it might have been, though.  
  
Fully dumbfounded and unable to react, you felt his goatee brush against your neck as he whispered in your ear from behind:  
“I quite like the sound of you begging, (Y/N)-ya. It suits you.”  
  
Either this was a very, very realistic <strike>dream</strike> nightmare, or you were beginning to display psychotic symptoms, supporting your theory about this place was actually a mental asylum.  
  
But then you felt the hand that wasn’t holding the book sneak itself under your shirt and softly skim over your hip bones, making you let out a small gasp as you had to admit that yes, this was really happening. Needless to say, your small sound of surprise had not gone unnoticed as you felt him smirk against your ear.  
  
_Get yourself together, (Y/N)! It’s not like you’re one of his fangirls!_  
  
Taking a deep breath, you tried to sound as calm and collected as possible <strike>and failed miserably</strike>: “Would you mind letting go of me, Law? I don’t appreciate being harassed while I’m supposed to be studying."  
Seemingly unfazed by your words, he ever so slowly removed his hand from under your shirt, but not before “accidentally” letting his nail graze your hip bone, causing you to shiver.  
“I didn’t know harassment was enjoyable, (Y/N)-ya.”  
  
Finally regaining some of your composure, you turned around, only to be faced with an intense gaze from his piercing eyes. He was still way too close for comfort and silently, you wondered whether it would’ve been better not to face him. The way he was looking at you was… _doing things to you._ And you didn’t know whether to jump him or strangle him for it.  
  
Unable to look at him anymore without blushing profusely, you quickly buried your head between your hands to hide the redness quickly spreading over your cheeks, letting out an exasperated groan.  
  
“Seriously Law, can’t you just leave me alone? I know you hate me and love to make my life a living hell, but we both really have something better to do right-“  
“Why would I hate you?” He asked calmly, and if you didn’t know better, you’d have thought he actually sounded curious. But he was probably just awaiting his next chance to make you feel like an idiot.  
  
Letting out another sigh of annoyance, you gathered all the courage you could muster, then faced him directly as you answered:  
  
“You hate me because other than seemingly everyone else here, I don’t worship the ground you’re walking on. You may be used to getting treated like some kind of god and you sure as hell act like it, but you won’t ever get that from me. You’re a total control freak and I’m the one person who’s doing everything in her will not to be some pawn in your petty game of dominance or whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish by putting me down.”  
  
Wow, that had been by far the longest you’d ever spoken to him.  
But even though you felt like you had delivered your little speech with all of your bottled-up anger and vigor, Law didn’t seem fazed at all.  
  
He was indeed still smirking down at you, the look in his eyes having become even more dangerous than before, it seemed. But this time, he didn’t look like a self-absorbed jerk whose face you badly wanted to punch, no – right now, he looked sexy and powerful and _oh God no, you were in trouble.  
  
Abort mission, (Y/N)! Get out of here, NOW!_  
  
As if he had read your thoughts, he moved his body even closer to yours than before, effectively trapping you between him and the large bookshelf behind you, with no escape in sight. And then he spoke.  
  
“You know what they say, (Y/N). The feistier the person, the more pleasurable the domination.”  
  
Unable to hide your blush this time, you quickly tried to somehow take back control over the situation <strike>(but seriously, had you even had it to begin with?)</strike>  
“You-you uhm… speaking from experience?” was all you could muster in your flushed state, the way you were reacting to his words and his smoldering gaze seemingly amusing him to no end.  
Leaning in so his warm lips just slightly grazed your earlobe, he whispered:  
  
“I’m just imagining what it would be like with you.”  
  
And that’s all it took for your brain to turn into complete mush, your heartbeat to speed up dangerously and your body to feel like it was burning up. He was so close, you could feel his hot breath against your neck, feel the warmth of his body against yours.  
  
_It would be so easy to just give in and let him have you, to find out what it would feel like to have him touch you, to feel those lips against yours, to rake your fingers through his hair, to-_  
  


  
  
**THUMP.**  
  
Not paying any attention to your surroundings, you’d managed to knock off one of the larger books on the shelves, the sound of it hitting the ground startling you and breaking the spell he’d had you under just seconds before.  
  
As quickly as possible, you ducked underneath his arm, finally escaping his hold and gaining some space to breathe.  
  
“You pervert. Have fun rotting in your filthy fantasies, I’m going home.” you huffed. Your mind still overwhelmed by… whatever that had been, you decided the best option was to flee the situation as quickly as possible, before he’d somehow trap you again.  
  
_Because, being completely honest with yourself, you didn’t really know what would’ve happened had that book not interrupted the both of you, and you did NOT want to find out. Definitely not._  
  
Without taking another look at him, you quickly made your way out of the aisle, still hearing his smug chuckle from behind you as you walked away.  
  
Only when you’d quickly gathered your stuff from the table you left it at and made your way through the front door did you realize that he’d just ruined any chances you’d had of studying in peace this afternoon.  
  
Obviously, you couldn’t have stayed in the library with him, but not even hours later, in the comfort of your own apartment, were you able to keep your mind off him.  
  
_You hated him. SO much._  
  
Once again, he had ruined your day. But next time, you wouldn’t let him catch you off guard again. Originally, you had tried to just stay out of his way, to mind your own business and ignore him in hopes of him losing his interest in bullying you. But since that obviously hadn’t worked out, you’d have to settle for something else.  
  
  
Retaliation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to actually turn this into a mini-series, since i have the best time writing these. 
> 
> Next chapter: More Strawhats, more Ace (i just love to write him as a troll, lol).
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.<3


	3. Three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shameless plug incoming*
> 
> I've recently cross-posted my work on Deviantart and Wattpad, so if you're on there, too, i'd love to talk to you guys!
> 
> https://www.deviantart.com/redskybluecherry
> 
> https://www.wattpad.com/user/redskybluecherry

After weeks of constant stress, headaches and the compulsive aspects of your personality taking over, examination period had finally ended.  
  
Which had meant at least a few weeks of freedom. Well, for everyone else, anyway. Not for you, no. You had spent way too much of the semester break agonizing about possible ways to take revenge on a certain raven-haired individual.  
<strike>And maybe, just maybe, some of that time had also been spent imagining how far things could’ve gone between the two of you that day in the library…</strike>  
  
But now, the break was over. It was your first day back, the first day you’d be facing Law again and… well, you weren’t exactly satisfied with your plan. But it would have to do.  
  
First, you’d analyzed what would make him tick. That hadn’t been difficult – you already knew he was a total control freak, your goal was taking said control away from him. Therefore, coming up with the main objective of your plan hadn’t been difficult. The more difficult part about it all was finding out how you’d actually execute it.  
  
Primarily, you’d considered trying to embarrass him during lectures by somehow finding flaws or errors in his answers, and then call him out for it in front of the course, but that had just seemed petty and childish, as well as pretty much impossible. You might’ve hated the guy, but you couldn’t deny he was smart. <strike>And attractive. And the way he’d whispered in your ear had really turned you o-</strike>  
  
_For god’s sake. It was supposed to be your time away from him and even now, he was dominating your thoughts._  
  
_<strike>Hey, wouldn’t you rather have him dominating your bo-</strike>_  
  
You hated your brain sometimes.  
  
Luckily, cognitive dissonance was one of your closest friends when it came to unwanted feelings, so by the end of semester break, you’d <strike>almost</strike> managed to convince yourself those encounters with Law had been nothing but temporarily slip-ups on your side. You didn’t find him attractive and you definitely didn’t want to see him again. No.  
What you didn’t have to convince yourself of, however, was that you still very much despised him.  
  
After sorting through possibilities of getting back at Law, you’d rejected many of them on the simple basis that they were predictable. And then it had hit you – everytime Law had managed to one-up you thus far, he had managed to do so because he’d correctly predicted your reactions to his actions. The only reason he’d been able to toy with you was because you’d let yourself be manipulated. You had been passive.  
  
So, if you wanted to catch him off guard, it was _you_ who would have to take the initiative. You had to do something he wouldn’t expect. And after doing some research <strike>(a.k.a. stalking on social media)</strike> you’d managed to find out what you wanted to do.  
  
As it had turned out, Law wasn’t as much of a loner as you’d thought. Sure, there was his growing female fanclub – just thinking about those gullible girls made you roll your eyes – but other than them, he’d usually been seen all alone. But even a narcissist like Law was bound to have some company in his free time.  
  
As you left the dormitory, mentally going over your plan once more, you reminded yourself to await the perfect moment, and not to just rush into things. Patience was a virtue, after all.  
  
One thing you had to make sure of, however, was that no unforeseen circumstances – meaning, _he who shall not be named_ himself – would interfere with your plans. So, being the evil genius you were (or rather, wanted to be), you’d taken precautionary measures. In your case, said measures included a personal bodyguard, who would accompany you to each lecture and pick you up afterwards, so Law wouldn’t be able to catch you alone.  
  
The person you’d instructed to do so certainly hadn’t been thrilled about the whole deal, but after some hard negotiations, he’d agreed. Well, actually, you’d just bribed him with food.  
  
“Come on, Luffy, we’re late!” you called out to him, waiting at the main entrance while he was busy with an arm-wrestling competition against one of the new kids at college. You didn’t know his name, but that guy was certainly fond of 80’s glamrock, judging by his appearance. The fact that he wore an actual _fur coat_ even though winter was long over certainly didn’t help, either.  
  
“Ha! I WON! That means you have to be buy me meat tomorrow!” Luffy shouted, a big smile on his face. You couldn’t help but laugh.  
  
As soon as Luffy had dropped you off at your first lecture, you settled in one of the seats and set up your stationery on the small table in front of you. Since you didn’t share this course with Law, it hadn’t really been all that necessary for Luffy to accompany you, but ever since the library incident, you figured it was better to be safe than sorry.  
  
After 90 minutes of boredom had finally passed, you took a little extra time packing up your stuff, since you didn’t exactly have too much faith in Luffy’s punctuality.  
  
Originally, you’d considered asking Zoro instead, but the guy would’ve just gotten lost on campus and you’d have never seen him again. Nami and Robin couldn’t be trusted when it came to Law, since they knew too much.  
  
And Ace… well. If there was one person you trusted even less than the girls, it was him.  
During every single lunch break, he’d dropped some suggestive remarks, obviously directed at you. You truly didn’t know why this whole Law-situation was so funny to him.  
Maybe he was just sexually frustrated himself, and projected his unfulfilled fantasies onto someone else.  
  
_Well yes, you’d certainly paid attention during that lecture about Freud and Psychoanalysis._  
  
The rest of the morning went by relatively harmless, with neither Law nor Ace disturbing your daily routine.  
  
It was when lunch break finally came that you started to put your plan into motion.  
  
“Luffy, you go ahead without me, I have some things to handle during the break. We’ll see each other after lunch, yeah?”  
“Alright, (Y/N)! Today’s meat loaf day. MEAT, yohooo!” he shouted cheerfully as he ran away to look for your usual table.  
“If only everyone was as easy to handle as Luffy…” you mumbled to yourself.  
  
Positioning yourself at the center of the cafeteria, you quickly scanned the hall. Since Law usually made it later to lunch than you (whether it was because he just couldn’t care less or because his fangirls pestered him on the way there, you didn’t know), you still had some time left to – hopefully – get things done as you’d planned.  
  
A few seconds later, you’d found what you’d been looking for.  
  
_Bingo._  
  
You put on your best fake-smile as you leisurely walked over to your targets.  
  
Even though their table was big enough for a few more people, only three guys were sitting there. And if what you’d heard about those guys – well, at least two of them – was true, everything was about to go really smoothly.  
They were apparently busy with a game of cards, but once you stood right before them, they immediately raised their heads. All three of them seemed confused as to why you’d be talking to them.  
  
You cleared your throat before speaking in a slightly higher-pitched version of your voice:  
“Excuse me, gentlemen, would you mind if I sat with you? I’m a friend of Law’s.”  
  
  
**About 15 minutes later…**  
  
“What?! Are you serious? He really kept that hat all those years?”  
  
“Yeah, we actually still have some photos of him wearing it back when he was 15.”  
  
“Oh my god, please, you have to show me those!” you subtly twirled your hair between your fingers and smiled at the two guys sitting across the table.  
  
Seriously, this was even more easy than you’d thought. Both Penguin (seriously, who named their child that?) and the redhead were completely wrapped around your finger. Bepo, their light-haired friend, didn’t seem as taken with you, and had just settled for silently eating his lunch while the three of you were talking, instead.  
  
“Well, I can’t exactly refuse a wish from such a lovely lady, now, can I?” Shachi asked, practically drooling over you.  
  
Before you could continue the conversation, however, another voice chimed in from behind, sounding anything but amused.  
  
“(Y/N)-ya, what a surprise. Just what exactly are you doing with _my_ friends?”  
Unable to keep the victorious smirk off your face, you slowly turned around to look directly at Law.  
“Oh, you know, just getting to know each other! Your friends have told me so much about you, Law, it’s quite fascinating, really!”  
  
For the very first time since you’d met him, the look on Law’s face wasn’t one of self-assuredness or arrogance, but of slight irritation. Any other person may have missed it, but you certainly didn’t. And even though it was just a minor sign of affectation, to you, it felt like a victory. All those times before, he’d managed to completely catch you off guard. Now, you’d finally managed to turn the tables on him and do something he hadn’t expected.  
And this was just the beginning.  
  
However, Law didn’t miss the way your grin widened at seeing the look on his face.  
  
“How nice. Guys, please leave us alone for a minute, I need to talk to (Y/N)-ya. Alone.” The look on his face was apparently enough for them to quickly gather their stuff and leave the table.  
  
_Crap._  
  
This was exactly what you’d been trying to avoid – being left alone with him. At least this time, the both of you were in a public place. And you’d finally gotten a rise out of him – you weren’t about to let him take control!  
  
_Stay calm. Stay cool. Don’t let him upset you._  
  
He sat down opposite you. “So, (Y/N)-ya, did you have fun playing your little game?”  
You looked right back at him, smiling widely. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Law, I was just trying to get to know your friends.”  
  
“We both know exactly what you’re trying to do. I have to admit, your childishness is mildly amusing (Y/N)-ya.” While he was smirking right back at you, the look in his eyes was positively murderous.  
  
<strike>Why does he look so hot when he’s like thi</strike> _SHUT UP, BRAIN!_  
  
He leaned in, resting his elbows on the table, his eyes never leaving yours, his voice lower, huskier than before. “You should know not to get on my bad side, (Y/N)-ya. Otherwise, I’ll have to _punish you_ for it.”  
  
You swallowed. The way he was looking at you was making it harder and harder for you to concentrate on your plan. Your plan of _not letting something like this happen again_!  
Quickly regaining your composure, you rolled your eyes.  
  
“What is it, (Y/N)-ya?” he asked.  
“That’s just like you to not acknowledge defeat, even if it hits you straight in the face. Typical Law.” you said, pouting slightly.  
  
He smirked, leaning in even further so only you were able to hear his next words.  
  
“Do you want me to be atypical?” he asked, pressing his leg against yours under the table. “Because I can be atypical and can be what you want me to be. All you have to do is _ask_.”  
  
Unable to keep from blushing, you quickly pulled your leg away from him, causing him to chuckle.  
“Stop saying things you don’t mean” you said instead, praying your voice didn’t give away your conflicting emotions.  
  
“Who’s bluffing, (Y/N)-ya?” he asked you, suddenly sounding way more serious.  
  
But before you could respond, his friends finally came back to the table, releasing you from the pressure of being alone with him.  
You quickly excused yourself and left to go and find your friends.  
Somehow, you just knew he was smirking as he was watching you walk away.  
  
_Epic failure, (Y/N)._  
  
How was he able to get under your skin so quickly? He was a demon. An evil spirit cast upon this world to torment you. That was the only logical explanation.  
  
Still lost in thought, you didn’t realise you’d arrived at your usual table.  
  
“Hey (Y/N)! There you are, finally! Break’s almost over, you missed the meatloaf!” Luffy shouted.  
  
“Yeah, what happened, (Y/N)? Were you too _engrossed_ in other activities to make it in time?” Ace asked, a shit-eating grin on his face.  
  
You wanted to punch him. You really did.  
  
  
**The next day…**  
  
It was Tuesday. Since you didn’t share any lessons with Law today, you wouldn’t have to see him with the exception of lunch time, and since you certainly didn’t want a repetition of what happened yesterday, you would stay at your table so you wouldn’t have to see him at all.  
  
You needed time to think about how you’d be able to regain control. Maybe some advice from Nami and Robin wouldn’t hurt, after all. Apparently, you weren’t able to defeat Law on your own, but maybe you’d be able to finally rid yourself of him with a little help from your female friends.  
  
Walking into the cafeteria, you made a beeline for your table while keeping your head down to hopefully avoid attracting Law’s attention. Your precaution turned out to be futile, however, when Luffy loudly called your name.  
  
“(Y/N)! Heeeeey, (Y/N)! Look, I’ve made a new friend!”  
  
Trying to keep from rolling your eyes as you looked up to answer his call, you were lost for words when you saw who was sitting at your table.  
  
_This isn’t real. This can’t be real. Please, let this be a nightmare._  
  
  
Ace burst out laughing when he saw your expression, while Luffy seemed very confused. Nami and Robin just sent pitying smiles your way.  
  
“No need to introduce, Mugiwara-ya. We already know each other.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not 100% satisfied with how this chapter turned out, so i might edit some small parts within the next few days.  
I hope you guys still enjoyed it, though. <3
> 
> And yes, Luffy not remembering/knowing about the Readers intense hatred for Law is intentional. He just doesn't listen to anything while he's eating. :D
> 
> Next chapter: More 1:1 time with Law. Fluffy? Smutty? We'll see. ;)


	4. Four.

You weren’t an angry person, per se. In fact, you prided yourself on being a rational, collected and well put-together individual most of the time. Your ability to keep calm under pressure was something you’d received many compliments for over the years, and one of the reasons you’d decided to approach such a potentially nerve-wracking major as medicine.  
  
Yes, there were times when you lost your confidence and needed a little pick-me-up, as well as people who managed to get on your nerves or upset you.  
  
But _hate_ wasn’t an emotion you’d ever indulged in nor associated with your personality.  
At least, not until now.  
  
Never, not once, within the 20-something years of your life, had you lost control like this.  
  
Never had someone managed to rile you up like this.  
  
You buried your face in your pillow, screaming at the top of your lungs in hopes of releasing some of your pent-up anger.  
  
“I HATE HIM!”  
  
  
  
**8 hours earlier...**  
  
“No need to introduce, Mugiwara-ya. We already know each other.”  
  
You didn’t even know what to say. Your mind was wiped blank, your body moving on autopilot as you took your usual seat next to Nami, trying hard not to shiver.  
  
You weren’t afraid, oh no. Not for yourself, at least. You were holding on to any shred of sensibility left within your mind to not just snap and slap him across his stupid face.  
  
_Stupid_ handsome _face._  
  
Great. Apparently even your own brain was working against you. Could this day get any worse?! At least Law was busy with Luffy, who was excitedly telling him about something. Judging by Luffy’s gesturing and the bored expression Law wore, it was most probably food-related.  
  
“Oi, (Y/N), you look a little _pale_. Everything alright?"  
  
Putting as much of your pent-up hatred in one gaze as possible, you turned around to face Ace, who proceeded to laugh straight in your face.  
  
_Calm down. Don’t let him get to you. Don’t rip his head off. Don’t rip his head off. Don’t-_  
  
“I’m fine, Ace, whatever are you talking about?” Your voice sounded so fake you almost didn’t recognize it yourself.  
“Oh, nothing in particular. Because there’s nothing _special_ about today, now _is there_?”  
  
You couldn’t believe the audacity of this guy. Was Law paying him?! Was there some sort of sick, twisted pact between the two of them that you didn’t know about? Or was Ace just a closet sadist?!  
  
Thankfully, Nami and Robin decided to chime in, coming to your aid.  
  
“Ace, I think it would be better if you shut your mouth now. We wouldn’t want you to _accidentally_ get hurt, now, would we?” Nami said, her tone seemingly sweet despite the obvious threat she’d just uttered.  
Apparently, Ace got the message, going back to eating his lunch while muttering a resignated “You’re no fun” under his breath.  
  
Meanwhile, Sanji was close to passing out, having suffered a minor nosebleed. “Nami-swaaaaan, you’re so alluring when you’re angry!” Zoro quickly shut him up, however, and the usual insult-contest between the two of them started.  
  
“Hey, (Y/N), how about we cut lunch short and get out of here?” Nami whispered in your ear, and you were sure you had never appreciated her as much as right then and there. You’d lost your appetite anyway, and any second spent longer than necessary at that table was a potential opportunity for Law to catch you off-guard yet again.  
  
With a way too enthusiastic nod, the two of you as well as Robin stood up, excused yourselves and made your way out of the cafeteria. Though it made you feel weak and pathetic as hell, you kept your head down the entire time, afraid of what to expect should you dare to look Law straight in the eye once more.  
  
Your precautionary measures backfired, however, when you spent the rest of the day wondering about what had happened after Nami, Robin and you had left. You were so lost in tought you were unable to concentrate on any lectures taking place during the afternoon.  
  
Had Law talked to your friends about you? And if so, what had he said? Had he asked them something? Had Ace-  
  
_Oh God. Please no._  
  
  
  
**Back in the present...**  
  
You had no idea what to do. For the first time, you were full of emotions yet had no clue what to do about them. You needed some kind of catharsis, needed to get rid of these unwanted feelings. But _how_?!  
  
Maybe talking to someone would help. Up until now, you’d hesitated to confide in your friends about your… encounters with Trafalgar Law, if only for the reason of preserving at least some of your wounded pride and dignity. But since the situation had only gotten worse within the last few weeks, maybe a chat was what you needed to take some of the weight off your shoulders.  
  
Scrolling through your contacts, you eventually decided to call Nami. You considered making it a group call and including Robin, but while you really liked her, you weren’t as close with her as you were with Nami. Also, while Robin was happy in her relationship with Franky, Nami was a single pringle, like you. Therefore, you figured she’d probably be more understanding.  
  
“(Y/N)? Hi! How are you? I’m so sorry about lunch, everything just happened so fast and-“  
  
“It’s fine, Nami. I’m certainly not angry at you. Luffy and Ace on the other hand…”  
  
“Yeah, I was surprised you didn’t rip them a new one right then and there.”  
  
You couldn’t help but laugh. Nami never failed to lighten up your mood. “I almost did, believe me. So…uhm… I’d actually like to talk to you about… _stuff_.”  
  
Even though you couldn’t see her, you could sense Nami’s lips forming that typical grin while she answered you. “_Stuff_, hm? And this _stuff_, does it coincidentally involve a certain person that seems to be on your mind a lot?”  
  
Your immediate instinct was to deny what she’d said, but what was the point? She was right. So you told her. About that first interaction between Law and you in the hallway, about that time he surprised you in the library, and about what had happened a few days before. What you _conveniently_ forgot to mention was what exactly Law had said to you, and what _effect_ his words and actions had had on you.  
  
Not that it was important, anyways. Those had been unfortunate slip-ups on your part, nothing more.  
  
_Nothing more!!!_  
  
After listening to your monologue and taking some time to think about what you’d said, Nami answered.  
“I mean, to be totally honest, (Y/N), I don’t really understand what the problem is.”  
  
“What?! But I just told you exactly what the problem is! He’s an arrogant, narcissistic bastard who-“  
  
“Yes, yes I got that. But why don’t you just get into his pants and get it over with?”  
  
Even though there was nothing in your mouth to potentially choke on, you felt like you couldn’t breathe anymore. All of a sudden, you were very glad Nami couldn’t see you, because you were pretty sure your head was resembling a ripe tomato now.  
  
“I- He- I mean why- why would you suggest… something like _that_, I mean that’s _absurd_, I mean I-“  
  
“So you’re telling me you haven’t imagined him naked? Not even once?” she said, dry humor lacing her voice.  
  
_Oh God. You shouldn’t have made this phone call. Because now, you couldn’t get… _that _image out of your head. And – though you wouldn’t ever admit this to anyone, not even yourself – especially not yourself – you kind of didn’t_ want _to._  
  
_(Y/N).exe stopped responding. Temporary system shutdown due to overheating._  
  
After about half a minute of silence, you finally managed to stutter: “I-I haven’t, I mean not really, I mean… maybe one time _at most_, I… uhm…”  
  
Nami giggled, then sighed. “Oh my sweet (Y/N), you got it bad. Ok, listen. If you don’t want to approach him, for reasons I don’t understand, alright. But you clearly need to blow off some steam.”  
  
“I do not-“ you wanted to interrupt, but she raised her voice slightly, effectively silencing you.  
  
“The Semester Opening party’s next Friday. How about I come over beforehand, we make sure you look perfect and you use the evening to search for a nice little distraction?”  
  
You weren’t the type for one-night-stands or casual sex, you really weren’t. But Nami wasn’t wrong – you’d been increasingly flustered and… frustrated during the last few weeks, though you wouldn’t say it out loud. Either way, the party would be a good way to let loose and forget all about him-who-shall-not-be-named for at least one night.  
  
You sighed. “Alright”, you said.  
  
_Please, let me not come to regret this decision._  
  
Nami and you kept on talking about various other topics for a while afterwards before ending the call. It may not have gone how you’d pictured it in your head beforehand, but you still felt better after finally talking to someone about what had been on your mind.  
  
Tonight, you’d finally be able to sleep well.  
  
  
  
**The next morning...**  
  
You couldn’t remember the last time you’d slept this well. Or this long. Wednesdays were your favorite days of the week, simply because your first lecture took place late enough for you to sleep in as well as stop at your favourite café before continuing on your way to Uni.  
  
“I’ll have a large Latté, please.” You ordered, smiling at the cashier. This was going to be a good day, you could feel it.  
  
“For here or to go?”  
  
“For here, please.” You still had some time left, and the café wasn’t far from campus, making it a regular venue for students of all majors.  
  
“That’ll be 3.50$ please.” The lady put down the large, steaming cup in front of you.  
You quickly reached for the little pocket inside your bag, where you always carried your wallet.  
  
But it wasn’t there.  
  
“Oh no!” you let out before sifting through the entirety of your bag, hoping you’d just accidentally forgotten to put it in its usual place. Put to no avail – your wallet wasn’t there. You’d left it at home.  
  
And to think the day had begun on such a good note.  
  
“I-uhm… you started out, unsure of how to explain to the cashier, who was starting to look impatient as well as significantly less friendly than before, what was going on. “I-I’m so sorry, I must’ve left my wallet at home, I-“  
  
  
“I’ll get that for the lady.” Someone interrupted while simoultaneously putting down the necessary amount of money on the counter.  
  
Unbelievable.  
  
_This was it. You were sure of it now. Your life had turned into a sick, soap-opera version of the Truman show, starring you in the main role._  
  
You turned your head slowly, to make sure this was _actually_ happening and not just taking place inside your head. And sure enough, there, right beside you, stood Trafalgar _freaking_ Law, in all his glory. He wasn’t looking back at you, still busy ordering his own drink, giving you a chance to <strike>shamelessly check him out</strike> look at him in a completely neutral way.  
  
He wasn’t wearing his trademark hat, so for the first time, you were able to really see his hair. It looked surprisingly soft. You silently wondered if it would feel as soft as it looked, then mentally scolded yourself and made a note to take a bath in holy water to make sure you’d never have these kind of thoughts about him ever again.  
  
“You might want to take a picture, (Y/N)-ya. That lasts longer.”  
  
He turned his head to look at you, already smirking.  
  
_Shit! He’d caught you! Abort mission!_  
  
“I wasn’t looking at you, just checking out the furniture. They recently redecorated the place.” You snapped, sounding just a little bit too defensive to be taken seriously.  
  
“Sure you were.”  
  
Taking a deep breath while simoultaneously cursing the world, all its inhabitants as well as both fate and coincidence for putting you in this situation, you said:  
“Anyway, I’ll pay you back tomorrow. I don’t want any handouts, least of all from _you_.”  
  
Not wanting to give him the chance of upsetting you further with an answer, you took your cup and swiftly made your way over to your usual table –  
  
Only for him to sit down across from you not a minute later, setting his coffee – black, you noted – down on the table next to yours. You groaned.  
  
“Really, Law?! Can’t you just let me have a few minutes of peace? I know you hate me, but-“  
  
“I never said I hate you. You’re the one who keeps putting those words in my mouth, (Y/N)-ya” He wasn’t smiling anymore, just looking straight at you. You suddenly felt the urge to break eye contact and bury your head inside your scarf to cover up the blush now rising to your cheeks, but willed yourself not to.  
  
“Ugh, whatever. Just leave me alone.”  
  
He chuckled. “So, still angry at me because of yesterday, I see. Take the coffee as an apology, then.”  
  
And just like that, what had been less apathy than usual turned into full-on anger.  
  
“Are you serious?! We both know you’re not really sorry, so you can take that apology and-“  
  
“Oh, (Y/N)-ya. _We both know_ you had it coming, trying to grill my friends about information on me.”  
  
Inwardly, you let out a thousand insults, both at him and yourself. He was right, even though you didn’t want to admit it. You’d wanted to retaliate against him, but you’d been sloppy and it had backfired. Big time. But what you’d done didn’t even begin to compare to what he’d put you through beforehand.  
  
Trying not to sound as angry as you felt – and failing -, you hissed: “Is that so? And just what do you think you’ve had coming, treating me like you’ve been doing all this time?”  
  
He didn’t even flinch, taking a deliberately slow sip from his coffee while never breaking eye contact. In fact, it looked like your words and your little fit of temper amused him.  
  
_If this went on for much longer, you were going to need anger management therapy._  
  
Putting his elbows up on the table, he leaned in towards you, but this time, you were smart enough to lean back in your chair so he wouldn’t be able to whisper in your ear, like he’d done before.  
  
His grin widened. “What I’ve had _coming_? Oh, I can only _imagine_, (Y/N)-ya. And trust me, I have.”  
  
Well, you certainly hadn’t expected _that_. Unable to form a coherent sentence while also trying to somehow keep yourself from blushing, you simply muttered: “Pervert.”  
  
He laughed. “Only when it comes to you, apparently.”  
  
Your eyes widened just a split second, your mouth suddenly feeling very dry. All of a sudden, your cup of coffee seemed much more interesting to look at than him.  
  
_Why did it have to be him who made you feel like this? Why couldn’t it be literally any other guy?!_  
  
You cleared your throat before looking back up at him. You had something you’d wanted to tell him ever since yesterday, and you wouldn’t let him or your traitorous thoughts distract you from it. Not this time.  
  
“Listen up, Trafalgar Law.” He cocked an eyebrow, seemingly interested in what you had to say. “You can ridicule, tease and insult me all you want, that’s something between you and me. But if you somehow, intentionally or not, hurt, upset or use my friends, no matter what reason, then-“  
  
“Then _what_, (Y/N)-ya?” He looked at you like he was genuinely taking you seriously. You’d seen glimpses of a softer, more genuine side of him before, but never like this. You knew childish threats like “making his life a living hell” would only cause him to mock you, and you knew just as well there wasn’t something you could do to actually harm him. There was only one thing you could threaten him with, and his reaction would hopefully satisfy at least some of your curiosity about his personality.  
  
Taking your courage in both hands, you looked him straight in the eye while saying: “Then you are absolutely dead to me and I won’t ever talk to yo again. Do you understand? My friends are everything to me. If you have the slightest bit of interest in me as a person, you’ll take that into consideration.”  
  
He didn’t laugh at you, mock you or even smirk. He simply looked at you, before smiling – a smile that actually reached his eyes. Somehow, you were pretty sure it wasn’t an expression he wore often, nor one easily provoked. You had no idea how to feel about it.  
  
Instead of reacting to your words, he asked: “What made you want to become a surgeon?”  
  
If you’d been confused before, you were positively clueless now. Was he genuinely interested in you? No. Impossible. He was most probably trying to get information he’d be able to use against you later on. That had to be it.  
  
“You first.” You simply answered, crossing your arms. Surely he wouldn’t answer such a personal question.  
  
He was silent for a moment, and just when you were sure he was only contemplating which excuse to use, he spoke, his voice a little lower than before.  
  
“I lost my family when I was very young. They died… from a disease only months before doctors discovered a cure. Ever since then, I wanted to become a doctor.”  
  
You were shocked. All those weeks, you’d viewed Law as an utter prick, someone who enjoyed putting other people down. Of course you’d known there’d be more to him as a person, you just hadn’t expected him to show it to you, of all people.  
  
“I’m so sorry for your loss” you answered, mentally scolding yourself for not being able to come up with something better to say.  
  
He just nodded, his eyes never leaving yours.  
  
Not wanting to pry, you tried to give him an answer just as honest as his.  
“My story seems so stupid and childish compared to yours, but uhm… my mom got me a book about human anatomy as a gift for christmas back when I was five and ever since then, I just wanted to… discover more, learn more, know more. It sounds silly, I know-“  
  
“It doesn’t. Not at all.” He interrupted you, his serious tone and the way he was looking at you causing you to blush yet again.  
  
Not knowing how to respond without making a complete fool of yourself (_as if you’d never done that before_), you settled for taking a look at your watch instead.  
  
“Oh, we better get going, first lecture’s in about 10 minutes.”  
  
“Alright then.”  
  
As you both left the café, you knew something had changed between the two of you. Before, you’d been able to write him off as someone you might feel attracted to, but could never picture yourself actually liking as a person. Now, even though you were still too deep in denial to admit it to yourself, you knew that wasn’t true anymore.  
  
When the two of you arrived at campus, you turned around to look at him once more, smiling.  
“So, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow in anatomy?”  
  
As if the serious conversation at the café hadn’t taken place only minutes before, his usual smirk was back.  
  
“No, (Y/N)-ya, we’ll see each other _at lunch_. I can’t wait to hear what interesting stories your friends have in store for me today.”  
  
_Ok. Apparently, you’d been braindead for the last few minutes, because to let yourself even consider the possibility of liking this spawn of hell for one minute was a mistake you had to rectify immediately._  
  
“Are you seriously going to punish me for sitting with your friends _one time_?!”  
  
Without any indication, he started walking past you, stopping for a short moment to whisper in your ear.  
  
“Trust me (Y/N)-ya, I have an entirely different type of punishment for you in mind.”  
  
And with that, he left you standing there, dumbfounded and most probably looking like a total idiot.  
  
You hated him. You did. But for the first time, you felt the urge to go after him instead of running away as fast as possible. And that train of thought scared you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost 100 Kudos?! You guys, I can't believe this. Thank you SO much for all the support. Your lovely comments make my day. <3
> 
> Also, this was more of a slow/less exciting chapter, but it was needed to set up the next one, which will include something most of you have been waiting for (i know i've been wanting to write it since i started this :D).  
And yes, our dear Reader-chan is _finally_ going to _snap_.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.<3


	5. Five.

You had many reasons for disliking semester opening parties.  
  
Every 6 months, they’d take place and each one you’d went to in the past had ended in complete and utter chaos.   
  
One time, some idiot had started a fist-fight, and the evening had ended with the cops shutting down the party. Another time, another idiot hat cheated on his girlfriend, but she had found out and had lit his car on fire, causing a stampede.   
  
And last semester? Let’s just say you couldn’t remember because you’d gotten very, _very_ drunk.  
  
<strike>_You may have also tried to throw yourself at Ace’s older brother Marco, who’d been one of your lecturers at the time. Thank god Marco had been discreet about the whole thing and Ace hadn’t found out, otherwise you wouldn’t have ever heard the end of it._</strike>  
  
Naturally, you were expecting a disaster of similar proportions to happen tonight. The last few days had gone by all too fast, and now, you felt like you hadn’t properly mentally prepared yourself for the party.   
  
Truth be told, you had no idea what to expect. But ever since that fateful day you ran into Law at the café, you were clueless about… well, pretty much everything, really.  
  
Before, describing the weird relationship between the two of you had been easy. Yes, it had taken you some time to admit that you were attracted to him, but all in all, you’d always known there was some… _tension_ whenever the two of you were alone. But it had been purely physical, since you’d held an immensely strong dislike for his character.  
  
Now, after you’d seen such a different side of him, a softer, less controlling, less demanding side, you weren’t so sure anymore. Until now, you’d known _how_ to face him _<strike>(although he’d thrown you off guard pretty much everytime)</strike>_. Now, you didn’t really know what to do or say should the two of you happen to cross paths tonight.  
  
Your friends had noticed your weird behavior whenever he was with you at lunch, but had decided not to ask you about it, for which you were grateful. _You_ weren’t even able to make sense of your feelings – how in the hell were you supposed to explain them to someone else, then?!  
  
You’d contemplated talking to Nami again, since her advice had helped you before, but had eventually decided against it. For reasons you couldn’t quite explain, it felt… _wrong_ even thinking about telling others about the private stuff you and Law had talked about.   
  
Yes, you still didn’t know him all that well, and it would be naïve to trust him. Yet you couldn’t shake the feeling that he hadn’t told anyone else about your conversation, either.  
  
But then again, he was still Law – the arrogant, narcissistic prick who you’d sworn to hate forever. Right?  
  
_Right?!_  
  
You sighed. Racking your head wasn’t going to get you anywhere. Maybe, Nami had been right. Maybe you’d just have to take things as they come.  
  
Taking one last look in the mirror, you decided you didn’t look half bad. And since Ace had surprisingly offered to drive (_probably the first and only time he acted responsible_), you wouldn’t have to worry about how you’d be getting home later.  
  
_<strike>You were also free to get utterly hammered, if you so desired. Not that you planned on doing that. Not at all.</strike>_  
  
  
  
**At the party…**  
  
Ok, now that you were here, you could finally admit to yourself: You were really, really nervous. Terrified, even.  
  
You didn’t know what you’d say should Law corner you again. You didn’t know if you _wanted him_ to corner you again, or if you just wanted to run back home, eat a bucket of ice cream and act like everything was fine.   
  
For once in your life, you were thankful for Ace. If he and Luffy hadn’t picked you up, you’d arrived alone, leaving you in an even more vulnerable position than now.  
  
As soon as the both of you had entered the club, your eyes started scanning the crowd. You kept telling yourself you were just looking for the rest of your friends, but that little, traitorous voice in your head said otherwise.   
  
“Ah, found ‘em!” Ace said, then proceeded to navigate his way through the crowd, leaving you to follow him.  
  
“Hey guys! (Y/N), you look gorgeous!” Nami shouted, immediately greeting you with a hug. Almost everyone was there – Luffy, Zoro (who was somehow drinking from a massive pitcher while fighting Sanji at the same time), Nami, Robin & Franky and Usopp & Kaya (who had gotten engaged immediately after high-school and were still seemingly as happy as back then).  
  
“So, (Y/N), has anyone catched your eye yet?” Ace asked, winking at you. You just sent him a death glare as an answer, hoping it would prevent any more of his embarassing innuendos.  
  
Nami was apparently busy drinking Zoro under the table, while all the others mostly kept to themselves – the music was pretty loud, making it nearly impossible to talk to more than one person at a time.   
  
Trying not to look too eager, you let your eyes wander over the crowd once more. This time, you saw him immediately. He was standing at the other bar, right across the room, together with his friends… and two really, really beautiful girls trying to chat him up, you begrudgingly noted.  
  
_Why do you even care? He’s never shown interest in these girls before, so why does it bother you know? Irrational Idiot._  
  
Apparently, Law hadn’t seen you yet, allowing you to shamelessly stare at him and his company. Sadly, your selective attention didn’t go unnoticed.  
  
Ace chuckled right beside you. “You’re both idiots, you know that?” he asked, his eyes glimmering with amusement.  
  
“Excuse me? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” You huffed, folding your arms.  
  
“(Y/N), I’m not an idiot.” You raised your eyebrow at his statement, causing him to lightly pinch your arm, before he continued: “It’s obvious what’s going on between the two of you. I have no idea why neither of you wants to admit it.”  
  
Even though every fibre of your being baulked at the idea of agreeing with Ace, you couldn’t deny he had a point. Sighing, you replied: “I have no idea either. I feel like a hormone-addled teenager.”  
  
Ace burst into laughter, and after a few seconds spent thinking about the absurdity of the entire situation, you couldn’t help but lightly giggle, as well.   
“Don’t think this means I’m letting you off the hook, asshole. You started all this.” You said, lightly punching his arm.  
  
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about”, Ace said, his voice practically oozing smugness. “But I do know you should better get over there. Jealousy doesn’t look good on you, you know.” Not awaiting your answer, he went over to Zoro and Sanji, who were somehow still engaged in a… _heated discussion_.   
  
You looked back over to Law, who apparently still hadn’t noticed you, and who was still talking to those girls… or, they were trying to get him to talk to them, more like. And yet you still couldn’t help that annoying, ugly feeling of jealousy.   
  
Jealousy was dangerous because it made people act irrationally, impulsively. In your case, it made you walk straight over to the other side of the room, only realizing what you were doing once you’d already come to a halt right before Law, his friends (Penguin and Shachi, you remembered) and the two girls – who were now looking at you like they wanted to scratch your eyes out.   
  
_How wonderful._  
  
But they weren’t the ones responsible for your heartrate speeding up and your stomach doing flips, oh no.   
  
Now, Law had definintely noticed you, looking at you with an unreadable expression.  
  
“Uhm… Hi.” You said, immediately wanting to slap yourself.   
  
_Hi? You spend all week worrying about what you’re going to say to him, and this is what you come up with?! SHAME!_  
  
“Hey, (Y/N), you look nice!” Shachi said, and you thanked the heavens he did, because Law didn’t say anything to indicate he’d heard you, or acknowledged your existence. He just kept on looking at you, blank-faced. You suddenly felt very, very sick.  
  
_Why was he acting like a major a-hole? He couldn’t have forgotten about the nice, actually civil conversation you’d had just a week ago, right?_  
  
Your confidence was leaving you. You wanted to run away, yet you couldn’t, since that would only make things even more awkward.  
“Thanks, Shachi.” You said instead, forcing yourself to smile.  
  
One of the girls next to Law cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, who are you?” she said.   
And the worst thing was, you didn’t even know what you were supposed to answer. _Who were you, to Law? A… friend? An acquaintance? A rival? And what was he to you?_  
  
Your thought process was rudely interruped, however, when the girl, in the most obvious way possible, put her hand on Law's shoulder.   
  
And he didn’t stop her. He just kept looking at you.  
  
_Ouch._  
  
“I’m a med student, same as Law.” You managed to say, praying your voice wouldn’t betray your emotions. You just wanted to leave. _No, you wanted to punch her. And him. You wanted to scream and cry and just finally get rid of all this built up tension inside you, one way or another._  
  
From the corner of your eye, you could see Penguin and Shachi looking at you sympathetically. But you didn’t want to pitied. Drowning in self-pity was enough.  
  
In the most awkward fashion possible, you pointed behind you, to where your friends were still standing, then said: “Well, I-uuh, I better get back there. It was good to see you guys, have fun!”  
  
While you turned around and started walking away, you managed to hear the girl asking: “Law, do you even know her?”  
  
You clenched your fists.   
  
_Violence is not a constructive problem-solving strategy._  
  
And yet you desperately wanted to snap.  
  
_Who the hell did he think he was, treating you like this?_  
  
Oh, he’d be in for a surprise. So Trafalgar Law wanted to ruin your night? Well, you certainly wouldn’t hand him that victory.   
  
Since Nami and Robin had apparently left the bar to go dance, you went straight over to Luffy, who was talking to a bunch of guys you didn’t know. Once you got closer, you recognized one of them – it was the new guy Luffy had arm-wrestled against a few weeks back, the one with a particular (meaning: 80’s glamrock inspired) sense of fashion.  
  
“Hey Luffy!” you said cheerfully _<strike>(whether you were trying to convince him or yourself, you had no idea)</strike>_. “Let’s take some shots!”  
  
The guy beside Luffy laughed.   
_Was that make-up he was wearing? And nailpolish? Well, you couldn’t say it didn’t suit him. He was actually pretty attractive up close, though not in a typical way._  
  
“I like her.” He said, punching Luffy, who, despite the read-head being at least a foot taller than him, didn’t even flinch. He then proceeded to look you up and down, shamelessly checking you out. “Let’s get drunk then, _girlie_.”  
  
Though you normally couldn’t stand guys adressing you like this, you let it slide. He wasn’t the one you were mad at. Besides, Law certainly hadn’t objected to that girl practically shoving herself at him, so why shouldn’t you enjoy a bit of … _attention_?  
„I’ll let you choose,“ you said, smiling at him.   
  
You would not let this evening end in a disaster. You were going to have fun. If alcohol managed to help you forget about a certain tattooed bastard, all the better.  
  
Little did you know, the aforementioned bastard was watching you intently the entire time…  
  
  
  
**A few (too many) shots later…**  
  
Ok, maybe getting drunk with some guy you didn’t even know hadn’t been your brightest moment.  
  
Kid was an… _interesting_ person. In some ways, he was very similar to Law (they were both alpha males, that was for sure), but in others, he was vastly different. Kid was very loud, and from what you’d seen so far, not the most level-headed person (to put it mildly, it hadn’t even taken 5 minutes for him to try and start a fight with some other guy at the bar).  
  
Law was always calm and collected, he didn’t feel the need to put on a show to impress others, he simply did, it was part of his nature.   
  
_Suddenly, a big red stop sign appeared before your inner eye._  
  
You’d spent the last 30 minutes with other people, you were still angry at him, so why, oh why were you comparing Kid to him already?! He was supposed to be your distraction!  
  
You needed to clear your head. It was loud and stuffy in here, and besides, the fact that Law was still in your line of vision didn’t exactly help things, either.   
  
“Excuse me for a second, you guys, I need some fresh air.”  
“Girlie, if you wanted to be alone with me, you could’ve just asked!” Kid roared, immediately drawing people’s attention to him.   
You just rolled your eyes and started to walk away, pretending you didn’t hear him and hoping he wouldn’t follow you.   
  
Truth be told, it probably wasn’t even his fault you weren’t all that interested in his advances. Your mind was just… _otherwise occupied_.  
  
As soon as you finally managed to find your way out of the club, you made sure to walk around the corner of the building, not wanting to engage in conversation with the people gathered in front of the entrance.   
  
All you needed were a few moments of piece and quiet. You just needed to clear your mind before going in there once more.   
  
You were so busy in thought, you completely missed the soft sound of footsteps following yours.   
  
Just when you’d turned the corner, strong hands grabbed a hold of your shoulders, pushing you against the wall of the building.  
  
You were stilly feeling a little dizzy thanks to the shots you’d previously taken, so you didn’t register what exactly was happening.  
  
You instinctively closed your eyes, expecting something or someone to hit you. But when nothing happened, and the hands didn’t leave your shoulders, you slowly opened your eyes to assess the situation.  
  
But you wished you hadn’t.  
  
The stormy grey of his eyes seemed to burn right through you, swallowing you up entirely. His face betrayed no emotion, just like before, but _those eyes_.   
  
They were glimmering with something you couldn’t name, and yet it made you feel weak at the knees. The soft lightning of the streetlights and the moon up above made him look more dangerous than ever before. He looked like a predator, ready to pounce on you at any moment.   
You suddenly found it hard to breathe.  
  
“Law, what-“  
  
He brutally smashed his lips against yours, taking away all of your breath and any sanity left within you at the same time. For most people, a kiss, especially a first kiss, was a sign of affection, of fondness. _This_ was none of those things.  
  
You were helplessly surrendering as he devoured you. His body was pinned, hot and heavy against yours as you stood frozen in surprise. His tongue invaded your mouth, dominating the kiss with ease.   
  
And all of a sudden, your body began to move on its own accord.  
  
You buried your hands in his hair, finally getting to touch what you’d desired for so long. It was just as soft as you’d imagined it to be.   
  
Weeks, no- _months_ of tension and pent-up desire finally found its release. He ran his nimble fingers down your arms, then harshly grasped your hips, holding them in place as he rolled his own. You couldn’t help but moan, the unexpected friction causing an intense feeling of want to invade your mind.  
  
_It was all happening too fast. And yet you didn’t want it to stop._  
  
His lips left yours, and just when you let out a small sound of protest, he harshly attached them to your neck, grazing the soft skin with his teeth before repeatedly sucking on it as you couldn’t help but gasp.  
  
It felt absolutely intoxicating – painful and pleasurable at the same time.   
  
“L-Law, what are you doing?” you managed to murmur, your voice thick with lust. And just like that, he moved away, hands letting go of you, mouth no longer attacking your skin.  
  
Only his lips brushed softly against your earshell when he replied: “Reminding you and anyone else who it is you _belong to_.”  
  
And then, he was gone.  
  
Dumbfounded and still unable to fully process what had just happened, you stood there, taking a deep breath.  
  
Never before had you been kissed like this, never before had such possessive words been directed at you.  
  
It had felt amazing – and yet, once the adrenaline rush eventually subsided, you felt nothing but empty inside.  
  
He hadn’t kissed you because he was attracted to you as a person. He’d kissed you because he was afraid of losing the control he had over you – he didn’t view you as his equal, he never had, he’d made that clear from the beginning.  
  
And yet, ever since the two of you had run into each other at the café, you’d been naïve enough to hope that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same as you.   
  
He had ignored you, had let his fangirls degrade you, had let you make a fool out of yourself. And when you’d tried to give him a taste of his own medicine, he’d punished you for it by marking you as _his_.  
  
It wasn’t fair. In fact, nothing he’d ever done to you had been fair - and you still hadn’t put an end to it, you’d let him manipulate you, because some sick, twisted, masochistic part of you had _liked it_.   
  
And even now, despite feeling so used, so stupid because of him, you couldn’t deny you’d loved the way his lips had felt against yours.  
  
It made you feel sick.   
  
The encounters between the two of you had been like a drug you hadn’t been able to get enough of – each new dose had been more exhilarating than the last.  
  
But now you realised that this – _you_ – had always been nothing but a game for him.  
  
You clenched your fists, trying to hold back tears. You would not cry. Not here.  
  
But you would certainly let him feel your anger.   
  
All this time, you’d held yourself back, had played by the rules, by _his_ rules.   
  
No more.   
  
Walking back inside, you didn’t even register the people around you. All you heard was the sound of blood rushing in your ears. All you saw was him, standing at the bar, his friends and the two girls from before right beside him.   
  
As if nothing had happened.   
  
You made your way through the crowd, slowly but surely gaining speed.  
  
More probably than not, you looked like a mess – lipstick smeared, disheveled hair, eyes wide and glassy – and you didn’t give a flying fuck.  
  
The girls next to Law saw you coming, one of them whispering in his ear while the other started giggling.   
  
Law turned around, his eyebrows slightly raised as he looked at you.  
  
Just when he opened his mouth to say something, you raised your right hand and slapped him across the face.   
  
_Hard._  
  
And finally, for once, the mask slipped. For once, Trafalgar Law looked completely at a loss for words – shocked. He looked at you, seemingly unable to believe what you’d just done.  
  
It felt glorious, even though it lasted for just a second.  
  
One of the girls started screaming at you, but you didn’t hear her. You just pushed her out of the way and made your way over to the other side of the room.  
  
Your friends looked just as shocked as everyone else – except for one person.  
  
“Ace” you adressed him. “I want to go home.”  
  
He didn’t say a word, only nodded at you before grabbing his things, following you on your way out.  
  
You walked back to his car in silence (_Portgas D. Ace, not speaking a word for over a minute? You’d never thought you’d live to see the day!_), he opened the door for you and you slipped in, your mind completely blank.  
  
Just when he wanted to start the engine, you put up a hand to stop him.   
  
He looked at you, and what you saw was neither pity nor mockery. Just pure, friendly compassion.   
  
There, in Ace’s car, in the company of your friend, you finally let yourself _feel_.   
  
And you cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all: Thank you guys SO MUCH for all the support. I never expected so many people to like this silly little story. <3
> 
> Second of all:  
This is it! There's 2-3 chapters left, depending on the length of the individual chapters.
> 
> I hope you guys liked it! As always, thanks for reading!


	6. Six.

“(Y/N),... if you… uhm, don’t want to be alone tonight, i could stay over and crash on your couch, or you could come back to mine and Luffy’s place? Sabo’s still overseas, so we have a spare room.”

After about 15 minutes of crying non-stop while Ace had been doing his best to somehow calm you down without overstepping any boundaries, you’d finally managed to at least somewhat put yourself together.

Okay, you still looked a mess, and you were pretty sure you’d restart crying once Ace had left, but you didn’t want him to worry about you. He had been so surprisingly nice tonight, you didn’t want to ruin the progress you’d made on your friendship by taking advantage of his kindness.

“Don’t worry, Ace. It’s… nice of you to offer, but I’ll be fine.”

He took a look at you, and you did your best to put on a brave face. Ace sighed before saying: “It’s not like i could convince you otherwise, i know you too well to believe that. Alright. But if anything happens or the feeling gets too bad, my phone is on my bedside table.”

“Thank you, Ace. I appreciate it. I really do.” You squeezed his hand tightly, smiling at him in what you hoped was a genuine way. You still felt too numb to actually feel anything, but you knew you’d regret it tomorrow if you didn’t thank him.

He surprised you by pulling you into a bone-crushing hug.

“Don’t worry, (Y/N) We’re going to find a way to fix this, alright?”

If someone had told you a few months back that Portgas D. Ace was going to be the person comforting you and trying to mend your broken heart, you would’ve laughed at them.

  
_Maybe_ you’d truly misjudged him.

“Now get some sleep, because frankly, you look like shit.”

_Or maybe not._

  
You couldn’t help but snort, your voice a distorted mixture of giggles and crying. “Idiot.”

Once you’d gotten out of the car, Ace smiled at you reassuringly.

  
“It’s going to be alright, (Y/N). You’ll see.”

Even though you didn’t believe him, it felt nice to know someone cared.

**The next morning...**

You felt like shit. You probably looked the part, too. Fitting.

The headache threatened to overwhelm you as images of what went down last night flooded your mind, leaving you no chance of waking up in peace.

_Don’t cry. He’s not worth it. Don’t cry. He’s not worth it. Don’t-_

The tears had already started staining your pillow. 

_Shit_. You should know better than to think your body would, just this once, be in sync with your mind. But psychosomatics was the last thing you wanted to concern yourself with right now – you needed to figure out the mess that was your inner life.

Well, you needed to, but you certainly didn’t want to. You’d much rather just curl up into a ball, then spend the rest of the day crying in fetal position.

Your plans quickly found their end, however, when someone repeatedly rang at your door.

Quickly taking a look at your phone – which you hadn’t bothered to check once you’d come home last night – you saw a couple of missed calls appear on your screen, as well as the exact time.

_1 p.m._

_Thank god it’s Saturday._

Your doorbell kept ringing, now accompanied by rather insistent knocking.

“(Y/N), open up, I know you’re in there!”

_Ace._

Sighing, you slowly made your way out of bed, quickly putting on some clean clothing while answering with a loud “Coming!”

If it had been anyone else, you would’ve just told them to get lost. But Ace had acted like a true friend yesterday, and you knew if you sent him away it would only make you feel even worse.

After brushing your teeth in a hurry – yes, you may have felt like crap, but you still _hated _the fuzzy feeling of dental plaque more than anything – you made your way over to your door, opening it with a sigh.

And yet, it wasn’t just Ace who stood in front of your door.

Nami immediately pulled you into a hug, stroking your back reassuringly in a way only a best friend of many years managed to do.

“(Y/N), I was so worried about you! I tried calling you after what happened, but you wouldn’t pick up, so I called Ace.”

You silently sent Ace a grateful smile over Nami’s shoulder.

“I hope it’s okay, I figured you might be in need of some friendly support”, he said, his voice warm and devoid of any of its usual smugness or mockery.

“Of course it’s fine.” You said, not quite able to muster yet another smile so soon. You hadn’t dealt with any of your feelings yet, and while it wasn’t as bad as yesterday, you knew you were far from feeling fine.

“Well, I’ll leave you girls to it, then. Nami, I’ll pick you up later, yeah?”

As soon as he was gone, you and Nami sat down on your couch.

Despite her being your best friend and knowing more than anyone else about this whole… _thing _between you and Law, you still felt nervous. Nami was understanding and a great friend, but she was a little forceful sometimes, and you weren’t sure if you were able to lay it all out on the table right now.

However, your worries were quickly put to rest when your best friend spoke up again.

“Listen, (Y/N). You can either tell me everything, or as much as you want to, anyway, and we’ll figure out a way to fix this, or to at least make you feel better.”

“Or?”

“Or we’ll just put on a nice movie, order some food and I’ll try my best to distract you from it.”

You stayed silent for a moment, contemplating her offer.

“Can we do both?” you asked then, causing Nami to laugh, and just like that, the day had gotten at least a little better.

After Nami had managed to dry most of your tears with some hugs, a few episodes of a series you used to watch together, and the biggest pizza you’d seen and eaten in your entire life (even more astonishing was the fact Nami _willingly paid_ for the food!), you’d managed to tell her about everything that had happened.

Even though it still hurt more than you cared to admit, you realized venting to someone had definitely been what you’d needed.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry (Y/N), I feel terrible!” Nami let out while munching on one of the last slices of pizza.

The two of you felt fairly comfortable around one another, so you didn’t bother with table manners.

“Why would _you_ feel terrible?” you asked.

“Because I was the one who told you to pursue him and give it a go! If I had told you to just stay away from him for good, none of this would’ve happened!”

For a second, you entertained the idea that she was right, that all of this, all the tears and the unwanted emotions, could’ve been so easily prevented.

“Nami, that’s total BS and you know it. To be completely honest, I…” you swallowed. Vocalizing something while also finally admitting it to yourself was certainly not as easy as you’d thought. “I probably wouldn’t have been able to stay away from him either way.”

You looked at her, and her gaze immediately softened. As the tears threatened to fall yet again, she quickly took your hand in hers.

“Look at me, (Y/N). It’s _not_ your fault, okay? I don’t know what this idiot was thinking, or how many kinds of emotionally fucked up he is, and frankly, I don’t care. What he did was uncalled for and totally out of line. And it _wasn’t your fault_. Understood?”

After letting her words sink in for a moment, you slowly nodded.

“Thank you, Nami.” You said, and this time, your smile was genuine.

“Now, let’s put on some _Mean Girls_ and after that, we’ll figure out how you want things to progress, alright?

**2 days later…**

It was Monday.

Your first day back at Uni ever since at least a few dozen people had seen you slap Law back at the party.

_All things considered, at least you got him good. You certainly hadn’t held back, that was for sure._

After spending Saturday with Nami and Sunday on your own, you’d eventually been able to make peace with the situation.

Yes, Law had hurt you. Yes, you’d had – probably _still_ had – some feelings for him, which you’d denied for the longest time.

There was no reason to lie to yourself anymore. Judging by his behavior at the party, he clearly didn’t feel the same, and even if he did, he’d definitely made clear he neither respected you nor saw you as his equal.

And, for all the sexual tension between the two of you and the excitement you felt each time he’d acknowledge you, for all the moments you’d thought you’d seen another side of him, a softer side, you still respected and valued yourself too much to ever settle for a connection as half-hearted and manipulative as the one he offered.

So you’d made a promise – both to Nami and to yourself. You woudn’t accept an apology, and you wouldn’t let him back into your life.

At least not unless he really, really meant it.

And, after all you’d come to know about Trafalgar D. Water Law over the last few months, you sincerely doubted he was a man capable of humility and remorse.

The day went fairly normal. Well, until lunch, it did.

You were sitting at your usual table, and despite your initial worries, nobody had asked you about what had happened at the party. Everyone just talked about the usual gossip, and just when you began to wonder why, Ace winked at you from across the table, and then you knew.

He’d probably made sure they wouldn’t bother you with any unwanted questions.

All of a sudden, the smile on Ace’s face quickly transformed into a deep scowl, and before you were able to ask him what was going on, you heard an all too familiar voice behind you, cutting through the conversations at your table.

“Excuse me, everyone. (Y/N)-ya, I’d like to talk to you alone, please.”

Your hands immediately gripped the table, your body moving on auto pilot. Swallowing hard, you slowly willed yourself to turn around.

_It’s no big deal. You’re not at fault. He’s the one at fault. You can do this. _

Mentally, you’d prepared yourself for this moment at least a thousand times. What you hadn’t expected, however, was for his gaze to be _so soft_. So unlike the glares, the leers he usually gave you.

It was painfully familiar to the way he’d looked at you back at the café.

If he’d looked at you like this at the party, you would’ve been lost, dumbfounded, unable to respond. And even now, it was hard to stand your ground when he presented himself like this, in front of your friends, no less.

But what he hadn’t expected, what you hadn’t expected, was the strength, the resolve you’d found where previousy, there’d been nothing but weakness and submission.

And so you didn’t lower your gaze, you didn’t bite your lip, and you didn’t let your eyes betray your emotions when you looked right back at him and said:

“Clearly, I’m busy at the moment, and frankly, I’m not interested in anything you have to say. Now if you’ll excuse _me_, I’d like to finish my lunch.”

Not sparing him another glance, you turned back around, only to be faced with the shocked (and, in Ace’s case: triumphant) expressions of your friends.

“(Y/N)-ya, if you think this is funny-“

You didn’t even bother to turn back around.

“I don’t think it’s funny, I just don’t want to talk to you. I know you may find that difficult to believe, but when a woman says no, she means it. Now _leave_.”

Only those last two words indicated what you were truly feeling, how hard this was for you, how much anger, how much regret, <strike>how much longing</strike> you were still feeling because of him.

Just when your emotions threatened to overwhelm you yet again, you felt a warm hand on your arm.

“Hey, it’s alright. He’s gone.” Nami smiled at you.

“(Y/N), we’re so proud of you. You did amazing,” she said. Robin beside her nodded, as did Zoro.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side” he muttered.

And just like that, the dreadful tension disappeared, leaving only a strange, empty feeling in its wake. You couldn’t name it, and you weren’t sure if you wanted to.

* * *

The next few weeks passed by like a blur.

Law didn’t attempt to talk to you again. He didn’t wait for you after your shared classes, he didn’t glare at you like he wanted to pick you apart and put you back together again, he didn’t come over at lunch.

You knew it was better this way. After the initial hurting and shock had passed, you’d opened up to your entire group of friends, telling them what exactly had happened.

All of them – except Luffy, who literally had no clue as to what was going on (as usual) – had reacted understandingly and sympathized with you.

Naturally, Sanji had immediately offered to beat Law to a pulp, prompting eye-rolls from everyone, as well as some backhanded compliments from Zoro.

Everything was back to the way it had been before you’d gotten closer to Law. A couple of months ago, this was all you’d wished for.

Still, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.

Nami had encouraged you to try out a dating site, if only to distract yourself, but you weren’t interested.

You studied hard, you managed to get some of the best grades you’d acquired in years, and yet, you weren’t able to enjoy it.

All this time you’d proclaimed how badly you wanted him to simply leave you alone and not pester you anymore, and now, after it had finally happened, you didn’t feel any of the salvation or relief you’d hoped for.

Sometimes, you caught yourself waiting after anatomy lessons, if only for a moment. _<strike>Waiting for a certain pair of eyes to fixate on you, waiting for strong, tattooed arms to embrace you-</strike>_

_ _

A few days ago, you’d forgotten your wallet at home yet again. This time, no one had offered to pay for your coffee.

_It’ll pass._

That’s what you told yourself each day. One day, it would become true. You were sure of it.

_It’ll pass._

* * *

Just one more lesson, and the day would finally be over.

_Anatomy._

Your heartbeat sped up, if only for a second.

_Idiot, nothing’s going to happen. It’s been weeks. Grow up._

After 90 tedious minutes – that had felt more like 90 hours – the lesson was finally over, and everyone was starting to pack up their stuff.

That’s when your lecturer spoke up once more, startling everyone.

“Just one more thing,” he said. “Since exams are coming up, those of you who still have trouble with the subject matter will have the opportunity of attending a special recitation class.”

Somewhere in the back of your mind, an alarm was starting to go off.

“Unfortunately, we currently don’t have a TA, after our last one quit rather recently,” he went on.

Your stomach felt uneasy and your head was suddenly feeling lighter than usual. You had a bad feeling, like something was-

“So, I’ve decided to put two people in charge of the class.”

_Fate is a cruel mistress._

“Those two people being the best students of the course. Miss (Y/N), Mister Law, If you would be so kind to come up to my desk. Class dismissed.”

_Cruel, indeed._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I say this after each chapter, but: Thank you guys so much for all the support.  
Your response to the last few chapters has been amazing! I love reading your thoughts and comments! <3
> 
> This one is more of a quiet chapter compared to Chapter 5, but don't worry, there'll be plenty of Law in the next one!  
There are 2 (maybe 3) more chapters left, and the next one will be pretty long, so i hope i'll be able finish it before Christmas!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading! <3


	7. Seven.

_Water off a duck’s back. Just keep calm. His words can’t hurt you anymore. It’ll all be like water off a duck’s back._

_ <strike>Yeah, right.</strike> _

Back when you were in second grade, there was this girl who lived right across the street. She went to a different school and, truth be told, you didn’t exactly have all that much in common, but during the summer break, while all of your friends were on vacation, she would sometimes come over and the two of you would spend days playing badminton right outside your doorstep.

She wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, but she was kind and sweet, and over the years, you came to like her more than you had ever expected to. She had this.. calm, soothing aura around her, one _you_ were severely lacking. No matter how many doubts plagued your mind, each time you confided in her she always managed to make you feel better.

Once the two of you had entered your teenage years, something changed. Both of you had entered high school, gotten to know new people, prepared yourselves for college and university. While the years had seemed to pass much quicker than they had before, for both of you, time seemed to have stopped. You couldn’t remember which summer had been the first you’d spent without her, but soon, the two of you had simply lost track of each other, as you do when you’re too young and stupid to appreciate an honest friendship.

You hadn’t thought about her in many years, but she’d come to your mind quite often over the last few days.

You wondered where she was, and whether she was happy.

You wondered whether she’d gotten her heart broken, and how she’d dealt with it. She had always handled problems and stress so much better than you.

You wondered what she would tell you if you told her about yourself, and how you’d managed to almost let someone ruin you. She would probably laugh at you, and rightfully so.

But that’s how things had always gone: You had been the one to overcomplicate matters, to wreck your head trying to find a solution which to her seemed so obvious. Each time you’d told her what had been plaguing your mind for days on end, she’d always laughed at you, but not in a mean way.

Then, once your tears had dried, she’d taken your hand, smiled, and said: “Trust me (Y/N), it’ll all be water off a duck’s back.”

Somehow, all you felt you needed was just someone to take your hand and say those words. But you weren’t in second grade anymore, and your former neighbor was living her own life, with nobody to hold _her_ hand.

So you would manage. You’d sworn to yourself that you wouldn’t ever let your happiness depend on another person, let alone on a guy.

_ <strike>Yeah okay, you’d broken that promise quite a few times already, but that wasn’t the point-</strike> _

So you’d pick yourself up and you’d see this through.

Even if _this_ meant spending an entire day with the <strike>infuriating asshole</strike> man who broke your heart.

At least you’d be able to ditch anatomy in favor of a different course next term, so you wouldn’t ever have to see him again after this was over.

Clutching your shirt while taking a deep breath, you clung to your textbooks like a lifeline while you opened the door to the library.

At least the library was a _public_ place. It’s not like Law would ever attempt something there, right? _<strike>Well, except that one time…</strike>_

_Oh well. Nevermind_.

_Water off a duck’s back. Keep calm and it’ll all be water off a duck’s back. _

“You’re late, (Y/N)-ya.”

_Fuck. You wanted to punch him. No, throttle him. Don’t look at him don’tlookathimdon’t-_

His eyes studied you expectantly, his expression as unreadable as ever.

_Shit. You did look. Great job, idiot!_

Setting your course material down on the table while taking a seat, you tried not to spare him another glance while saying: “Let’s just get this over with. I have places to be.”

You prayed your voice sounded as closed off as it had in your head.

Hopefully, he would get the hint. It had been weeks since you’d told him to leave you alone that day in the cafeteria, and he hadn’t tried to approach you since then. No more piercing glances and infuriating smirks, no more words which left you flustered yet excited at the same time.

Most of the time, he just acted like you didn’t exist, and you were fine with that. Just a few months ago, getting Law’s attention had felt like a drug you couldn’t get enough of. Then you’d overdosed and it had left you feeling empty and foolish.

You knew your friends talked about you behind your back, saw all the pitying glances they sent your way each time you entered a room. Hell, you could practically _feel_ Nami’s disappointment each time she told you about some guy she’d met and how he’d totally be your type while you couldn’t even muster up enough interest to listen to her.

You knew why you still felt so nervous around Law, you weren’t _that _stupid, and denying your feelings hadn’t helped you before, so why bother now?

Even though you’d never admit it out loud, you knew if he wanted, he would still be able to hurt you. And you didn’t ever want to feel as vulnerable again as you did that night after the party.

“Alright. So, what would you suggest as an entry point?”

You let out a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding.

“I’d thought we’d start with a revision of cranial anatomy, then move on with an exercise on CCT. How’s that sound?”

“Fine. What type of exercise were you thinking of?”

_About 2 hours later…_

You couldn’t believe it. The two of you had been working on the schedule for the recitation class for about two hours now, and for the entire time, Law had kept it completely professional.

No teasing remarks, no electrifying glances, no _accidental _touches.

It was more than you could’ve ever hoped for.

And yet it didn’t feel half as satisfying as it should have felt.

Frustrated with yourself, you let out an exasperated sigh, momentarily forgetting you were still _very much not alone_.

Law glanced up from his textbook, his brows slightly furrowed. “Are you alright, (Y/N)-ya? Should we take a break?”

A few months ago, you surely would’ve blushed at the way he said your name just then, sounding like he was actually concerned. But you weren’t that person anymore. You wouldn’t just let him wrap you around his fingers again. Not that easily.

You sighed, resting your head on your hand. “Yeah, maybe a break would be for the best, I feel like all I’m coming up with is garbage.”

“Don’t say that. Your contributions to class are always brilliant.”

Your eyes widened.

“Law, I-“

“You’re the smartest person I know.”

You gulped, trying to come up with an answer while your face was surely turning an interesting shade of red.

_ <strike>This fucker!</strike> _

When it was clear you weren’t going to answer, Law coughed slightly, and if you wouldn’t have known better, you would’ve said he seemed _embarrassed_.

“I’m sorry, I made you uncomfortable”, he said.

Now it was your time to awkwardly clear your throat before replying: “No it’s- Uhm, it’s alright, I just don’t know what to say to that is the problem.”

He kept looking at you, but for the first time, it didn’t make you feel nervous or uncomfortable.

“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

There were no more words needed for you to understand what he meant. He was giving you the choice to either talk about what had happened between the two of you or leaving it be. You were in control, and not because you’d forced it, but because he had let you. It felt like more of a commitment than anything he’d said or done up until this point.

That small evil voice in your head told you to just leave him hanging like that, not wanting him to know about your feelings. _He’s only going to use them against you, and you’ll end up looking like an idiot again. Who’s going to pick up the pieces now, huh?_

And then you realized.

You weren’t the same person anymore. It wasn’t just a phrase you told yourself each morning to make it through the day. It had slowly but surely become a reality. Yes, you weren’t over what had happened with him. Weren’t over him. But you were stronger now, more confident, more powerful.

You didn’t need anyone else to pick up the pieces. And you wouldn’t blame yourself for expressing your feelings. Not anymore.

“You really hurt me, Law.”

“I know.”

“You knew back then, and yet you didn’t care.” You were expecting him to interrupt you, but he didn’t. He was just letting you speak. So you continued. “You _used _me. You didn’t ask for my consent. And do you know what was the worst part? You made me think_ I_ was the one to blame. That I was at fault because I’d been stupid enough to think you were actually interested in me.”

Taking a deep breath, you mentally patted yourself on the back for making it through that monologue without crying. _Not to say you didn’t come close though._

Law waited for a few seconds, seemingly unsure whether you were finished talking. Then he said: “I’m not going to give you any pathetic excuses because I know you’d see through them anyway. I know I’m not a good person, (Y/N)-ya. The way I acted that is unforgivable, and I’m aware of that. I…” He sighed, seemingly uncomfortable yet still holding your gaze. “I acted out of my insecurities and jealousy and took it out on you. I’m sorry.”

Neither of you said anything for a couple of minutes, just taking in the words he’d said.

You were conflicted, a familiar emotion when it came to Law. It would be a lie to say what he’d said hadn’t changed anything, yet there was still that ever-lurking fear constantly reminding you he could mess up your emotions all over again if you gave him another chance to do so.

“I accept your apology. But I’m not sure I want to stay… _friends_ anymore. I mean, what even _are _we, Law?“

He chuckled. It didn’t sound like him. It sounded sad. “Rivals?“ he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s probably the most accurate description, yeah”, you replied, still unsure what to say or think.

You finished the rest of your work in silence, only talking when the subject required it. After another 2 hours of work, the two of you were finished and gathered up your stuff to leave.

“So… this is it then, huh?” you mumbled awkwardly as the two you walked through the aisles of the library to the front.

“The actual repetition class takes place in two weeks.” He noted stoically, his expression unreadable.

You had no idea why the words were coming out of your mouth, and yet you couldn’t help it.

“Law, I’ll be exchanging anatomy for a different course next term, so-“

“Oh. I see.“

„Yeah.“

Both of you looked down, neither of you sure how to say your goodbyes. Even though your head felt empty and you had no idea what to do, you got the feeling there were still so many things left unsaid between the two of you.

Then he looked at you, and, cliché be damned, at that moment his eyes betrayed the vulnerability he often tried to hide. It made your heart flutter despite yourself.

“(Y/N)-ya, I-“

Law didn’t get to finish his sentence because suddenly, screams were coming from the entrance of the library.

“SIR, YOU ARE BURNING, YOU ARE ON FIRE, SIR! HELP, SOMEBODY!“

„Oh miss it’s quite alright, you see, this is somewhat of a regular occurrence-“

Truth be told, you had no idea what was going on and were too stunned to say anything. Meanwhile, Law let out what could only be described as an exasperated groan.

“What is it?” you asked him.

Something strange was happening. First, some kind of maniac had set himself on fire in the library, and now Law - _aloof, unapproachable Law_ seemed _nervous._

_Like he couldn’t wait to get out of this place._

“N-nothing, just, it was good to see you, (Y/N)-ya. I’ll be leav-„

„LAW! Law, ah, there you are!”

“Oh no.”

A very_, very_ tall man was walking towards the two of you, wearing a smile so bright and genuine you probably would’ve smiled right back, had you not been as utterly confused as you were.

The man was wearing a shirt covered in little hearts, and a strange hat-

You didn’t get to take in his full appearance because not a second later, the man had managed to trip over… well, _nothing_, taking both himself and one of the huge bookshelves down in the process.

The librarian was going to throw another fit, that was for sure.

“OH MY GOD! WHAT HAPPENED?! WHAT DID YOU DO?! DO YOU KNOW HOW EXPENSIVE THESE SHELVES ARE? THAT IS _MAHOGANY_!!!“ her wails echoed through the library as you couldn’t help but laugh. You knew it wasn’t exactly polite to laugh at other people, but the look on the man’s face was simply too funny not to.

He looked like an innocent 5-year-old, keeping his head down as the librarian kept scolding him before eventually leaving him be after he’d promised to pay for the damage he’d caused.

“Glad you’re enjoying yourself, (Y/N)-ya. I have to deal with this on a daily basis.”

At the sound of your name, the man’s face suddenly lightened up, as if he had an epiphany.

“So YOU are the famous (Y/N)!” He pulled himself up and immediately grabbed your hand.

„Famous?“ you asked, still unsure what exactly was _HAPPENING HERE_.

“Cora-san, didn’t I tell you to wait in the car? What’s so hard to understand about that, _Baka_!”

_Good God. Law sounded like he wanted to kill the man. _

“Law, that’s no way to speak to your father!”

_Oh. Slowly, things were starting to make sense. But wait, hadn’t Law told you his parents had-_

“_Foster _father, and can we leave already? I’m sure you’ve left the stove on as always.”

It sounded like a joke, but considering the events you’d just witnessed, you weren’t so sure.

“Excuse me, I’ve made sure it’s turned off this time! And besides”, Cora-san said, turning around to focus on you once more, “how could we leave now when I’m finally meeting the girl you’ve been talking about for the past few months?”

Just when you’d thought things were making sense again, you were left speechless once more. From the corner of your eye, you could see Law pulling his hat over his face, and- was he _blushing_?!

“Oi, Cora-san, if you don’t shut up, I will-“

“(Y/N)”, Cora-san, as Law had called him, cheerfully said, completely ignoring his foster son, “you _must _have dinner with us.”

Somehow, you could hear the windows error noise repeatedly going of somewhere in your mind.

“Uhm, what?” you asked, unsure if you’d heard correctly.

“Cora-san, didn’t I just tell you-“

“_I insist_! Law told me you live alone, and we always cook way too much anyways.”

“Well, this is a little sudden, so-“ you started, when you felt a tattooed hand lightly touch your shoulder.

“You don’t have to say yes. Just let me know and I’ll get him to back off.” Law said softly.

You took a moment to think while the two men kept bickering with each other.

There were still so many what-ifs when it came to Trafalgar Law, and even though you’d accepted his apology, you weren’t sure whether it was the right decision to let him in again. Yet there was only one thing you could think of, and somehow, it made you feel invincible.

_Water off a duck’s back._

“Okay”, you said.

The two men stopped arguing. Law was a very composed individual, but if there was ever a time when he looked positively shocked, it was then and there.

Meanwhile, his foster father looked like the cat that swallowed the canary.

“(Y/N)-ya, are you sure you-“

“_Perfect_, I’ll get the car, and then we’ll get something to eat!” As Cora-san went ahead, somehow managing not to knock over any shelves this time, Law was still looking at you.

“What’s that, Law?” you grinned. “Cat got your tongue? You know, the two of you are kind of cute together.”

Once again, he pulled his hat over his face before mumbling: “I’m not _cute_.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. And while the two of you made your way outside, you could see the hint of a smile playing around the corners of Law’s mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's back from the dead!  
First of all, I owe all of you an apology. I'm sorry for disappearing for such a long time, but life has been crazy.  
Between moving into my very first own apartment and my beloved dog passing away (I still miss him so much it's crazy) I just couldn't find the time nor the motivation to write.
> 
> That being said, I will NOT be abandoning this story! The draft for the last chapter is already finished and I'm confident I'll be able to finish it within the next few weeks (there MIGHT be an extra bonus chapter containing some spice, but for now, the next will be the final one.)
> 
> I'm also working on a few other One Piece One Shots, as well as fics for other fandoms (Boku No Hero Academia and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), so there are many things to come and I hope you'll stick around!  
Also, "water off a duck's back" is - of course - an homage to the fabulous Jinkx Monsoon. 
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who has supported this story. I promise I'll be more active from now on and I honestly appreciate every single Kudo, View, or Comment! 
> 
> Also, even though it probably won't make a difference, I just want to say this:  
Black Lives Matter. Black Trans Lives Matter. You are valid, you are wonderful, I love and support you. Always.
> 
> Much love <3,  
R


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